Summer Program for Undergraduate Rising Stars (SPURS)
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER
Due to the impact of recent funding reductions, the SPURS program is on pause for THE SUMMER OF 2025
Brief History/Early Success
In the summer of 2002, nine students formed the first group to benefit from the Program. The success of that first summer is demonstrated by the fact that of the nine students, eight went on to medical school (Einstein and Downstate Medical Schools) or to pursue advanced degrees at Cornell, Columbia, Stony Brook, and Harvard universities. The summer of 2003 saw 16 students enrolled in the Program, with equally impressive results.
Students that summer moved on to Cornell Medical School, research assistantships at Columbia, Sloan Kettering, and Hunter, and graduate Programs at Columbia and Stony Brook. The 2004 Program, with 8 students, the 2005 Program with 11 students, and the 2006 Program with 13 students were equally successful – with four of the students going on to win prizes at National Conferences with the work they did at Columbia. Several students achieved other honors for the work done at Columbia. The program has grown by leaps and bounds since those first summers, training over 350 students over the last 24 years.
MISSION
The main goal of the “The Summer Program for Undergraduate Rising Stars (SPURS)” is to help science undergraduate students realize that a successful and fulfilling career in the biomedical sciences is well within their reach. By providing the students with opportunities to engage in biomedical research, focusing primarily on cardiovascular and neurological sciences, they gain a valuable research experience to help prepare them for medical/graduate school. The SPURS program plays an important role in providing outstanding science undergraduate students a unique summer research experience and lifelong mentoring.
Several of our recent SPURS alumni have gone on to impressive graduate school placements. Ogo Okolo is ready to graduate from medical school at Columbia University (Case Western Reserve University, Mentor: Dr. Wesley Grueber), Kaylee Wedderburn-Pugh (Columbia University, Mentor: Dr. Andrew Marks) matriculated to a combined MD, PhD program at UCSF, Nicolette Moya (University of Colorado at Denver, Mentor: Dr. Kandel) entered a PhD program at Northwestern University, Joshua Barbosa (Emory University, Mentor: Dr. Rene Hen) entered Emory University School of Medicine, and Kenny Igarza (Emory University, Mentor: Dr. Richard Axel) entered a Neuroscience PhD program at Princeton University. These students, and those before and after them have made us all incredibly proud. Time and time again SPURS alumni have cited their experience in the program as the single most important factor in their successful admission to graduate or medical school.